UNIVERSITY OF THESSALY - DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY ARCHAEOLOGY AND SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGYPERFECTURE OF THESSALY

International Conference:

Folk/Traditional/Popular Culture and the Internet

Volos, 6-7 November 2013

The Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology of the University of Thessaly,
with the support of the Perfecture of Thessaly, organizes an International Conference titled
Folk/Traditional/Popular Culture and the Internet.
The Conference will be held on November 6 & 7 in Volos.

Purpose and topics of Conference

The last decade decade is increasing interest in the study of the Internet and new technologies and the consequent effect on social and cultural level. The peculiar, ambiguous and fluid characteristics of the Internet and new technologies require a multidisciplinary approach to the phenomenon and constitute a common ground of theoretical and methodological fermentation between the social sciences and humanities. This challenge has responded very recently and the science of Folklore, which grafted the theoretical and methodological reason other related sciences (anthropology, sociology) attempts to pass the identification and description of new phenomena in the systematic study and analysis of these. In particular, it focuses on the question of the emergence and widespread use of forms of popular culture (jokes, popular literature, performing arts, rituals, etc.) on the Internet and viewing them through new technologies (cd-rom, databases, electronic museums etc). In any case it seems that the popular culture constitutes a privileged field of individual and collective expression on the internet, where the concepts of communication and creativity reordered and acquire new potential meaning and content.

The conference is the critical study of the relationship between popular culture and the Internet through a multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach. On this basis, the Congress will insist on specific issues such as: